LEAGUE HOCKEY
PLASHET HOCKEY CLUB

Plashet 1 Vs University of Essex 1



7 - 1

After being crowned Div 4SE league champions in there first competitive league season, Plashet are relishing the new season in Div 3SE to continue the growth and development they have managed to instil since their introduction to the east league.

The first game of the 2007/08 season brought about a rearranged fixture played away to University of Essex. The students, who were also awarded promotion at the end of last season were very familiar with Plashet, needless to say the warriors in orange were extremely motivated for this game and were eager to get off to a good start.

Plashet dominated the game right from the initial pushback. I’m sure, if the east league were to award teams for the quickest goal scored then we would arguably be given a shout for that record, only 10 seconds on the clock, Plashet were 1 nil up. Between Inderjeet Singh and Daljeet Singh a flurry of one, two’s were exchanged passing round the students with ease until Indy reached the top of the D and rounded 2 defenders and slotted the ball into the right hand corner past the outstretched goalkeeper. From the resulting restart, Plashet’s desire to score more goals and win the game was further evident as the whole team pressed the students in their own half and hurried the player on ball, not allowing them to create any pattern of play whatsoever. With their continuing pressing and enjoying long periods of possession, Plashet overwhelmed the students with another well worked goal, this time Dalj rounded the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the goal after some great display of passing and movement between the Plashet midfield and forwards. After the second goal went in, only 10 minutes had surpassed on the clock, however the team in orange were really in the mood to run riot. With the pattern of play now stamped on the game, 5 minutes later, Plashet increased their lead to 3 – 0, again a well worked team goal was finished by a thunderous strike by Indy, increasing his tally to 2 for the game. 10 minutes left of the first half saw a moment’s lapse from the Plashet defence, as the students attacked from the right hand side they managed to get a cross into the D which hit the keepers near post, from there the ball found its way to the awaiting  left winger who managed to finish from a yard out. However this was not about to be a game that was going to be turned around by the students, as Plashet increased there command of the game and continued pressurising the home side and exchanging passes in key areas. Inevitably, Plashet scored yet again through Dalj with a neatly tucked away shot at the near post. The sides went in at half time with Plashet 4 – 1 up, it would take a serious slip up from the men in orange to allow the students back into the game.

  The start of the second half, Plashet retained much of the possession and created a hatful of goal scoring opportunities, as they surged the student’s defence with relentless pressure looking to further their goal scoring tally. Every single Plashet player was influential in this performance starting right from the back through Sandeep Singh, commanding the players in front of him and alerting players to any potential threats on the Plashet goal, and this is exactly how the rest of this game was played out. Plashet’s fifth goal, and Saleem Sabri’s first saw a moment of excellence from the left winger, as he found himself in the D, he managed to position himself for a thunderous near perfect upright reverse strike which almost ripped the top of the net and left the keeper in utter confusion. 5- 1 up and only 20 minutes to play, Plashet were now playing to score at will. Indy was fittingly the next player to score adding Plashet’s sixth goal and securing his hat trick with a superb solo run from the opposition’s 25 yard line, rounding 3 of the defenders and cutting the ball past the flat footed goalkeeper. With an excellent team performance all round for the first game of the season drawing to an end, Plashet finished off the students with a seventh goal, which was simply tapped in by Saleem at the back post. With still 10 minutes of the game to go, and the students playing the game in their own half, the men in orange continued to dictate the game and create shooting chances at will.

The end of the game and the men in orange come away with an emphatic win over the students, 7 -1. The next game sees Plashet away to Wapping 3’s, another of those teams that came up from Div 4SE. Keep check to see how the warriors fare next week… 

SG